Standing in the middle of the Media Row section at the United Center, veteran journalist Roland S. Martin made a bold statement on the first night of the Democratic National Convention. His “Roland Martin Unfiltered” daily talk show series had been humming for hours, shooting one-on-ones and roundtable interviews from a makeshift studio perched in […]

Paulette Roby learned the meaning of civil disobedience when she was 13 years old. As a budding teenager in Birmingham, Alabama, Roby wanted to take part in civil rights demonstrations organized in her hometown by Dr. Martin Luther King in 1963, but her mother refused to let her leave school. Young Paulette followed her conscience, […]

“Joker” and “Joker: Folie à Deux” cinematographer Lawrence Sher will deliver a keynote address at the SMPTE Media Technology Summit, set to take place in October in Hollywood. Sher has served as the d.p. on more than 35 feature films, and he is the founder and CEO of ShotDeck, a digital image library widely used […]

Every producer in Hollywood has felt the squeeze over the past year. TV and film buying activity has dropped significantly as the industry resets the bar for content volume and profitability while studios slash, burn and reorganize themselves for a different era. Tommy Oliver, the producer-director who is founder and CEO of the Confluential Company, […]

Oprah Winfrey was a surprise guest Wednesday on Night 3 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, delivering a rousing speech that highlighted the differences between Kamala Harris and her GOP counterpart. Winfrey, who has kept a low profile in politics so far this election cycle, called on viewers at home and the Democrats at […]

CHICAGO – A Venn diagram of people who are deeply involved in politics and deeply engaged with news media usually creates a pretty big middle circle. The Democratic National Convention, unfolding this week in Chicago, has made news this time around with its warm embrace of social media creators and influencers. But a lightning-round sample […]

Kamala Harris’ rousing speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention capped four days of campaign shouting, testifying, preaching and high-decibel warnings about the danger posed by the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidential administration. At every turn, Democrats used four days of primetime TV coverage to reshape their image with middle […]

Edgar Bronfman Jr. has abruptly dropped his eleventh-hour bid for Paramount Global. The decision came as the clock ticked down on the time frame within which his group had to finalize a firm offer that could be a viable alternative to Skydance Media’s pending takeover agreement. Late Monday, Paramount Global’s special committee handling its long […]

AI on the Lot has struck a deal with Toronto International Film Festival to host a pop-up event next month designed to help industry pros better understand the potential of generative AI tools for visual media. The presentation aims to demonstrate how filmmakers are already making use of AI in storytelling. The session, open to […]

Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris talked up her plan to promote an “opportunity economy” and defended her past policy shifts and track record as Vice President during her first high-profile news interview since moving to the top of the ticket earlier this month. Vice President Harris sat with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, […]

One of the biggest cultural trend stories coming out of last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago was the party’s warm embrace of social media creators and influencers. No social media maven on the ground at the United Center got more of a boost out of the DNC marathon than 12-year-old Knowa De Baraso of […]

The California state Senate has passed a law that requires consent for the use of dead performers’ likenesses for AI-created digital replicas. SAG-AFTRA has been among the organizations championing the legislation as a means of helping the estates of deceased performers maintain some control over AI-created fakes and replicas of famous figures. The union was […]

ESPN and other Disney-owned channels have gone dark on DirecTV after the sides failed to come to terms on a new carriage agreement, a business impasse that reflects the broader economic pain spreading throughout the pay TV sector. The blackout, coming on the kickoff weekend for ABC’s college football football coverage and a little more […]

Entravision Communications alumnus Christopher T. Young has joined The Weather Channel as chief financial officer. He will also serve as executive VP of the cabler’s parent company, Allen Media Group. Young will be based at Weather Channel’s Atlanta and in Los Angeles where Allen Media Group is based. He reports to CEO Byron Allen and […]

Disney leaders have responded to claims made by DirecTV executives amid the contract dispute that led to ESPN, ABC and other Disney-owned channels going dark on the satellite TV provider’s platform as of Sept. 1. DirecTV executives made bold claims on Sept. 3 about how Disney’s actions have harmed consumers as well as the decline […]

Amazon Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” had a soft start for Season 2 and couldn’t fend off Netflix’s “Worst Ex Ever” for the No. 1 spot among streaming original TV series for the Aug. 30-Sept. 5 period. Meanwhile, Lee Daniels’ “The Deliverance” topped the streaming original movies chart for […]

In the late 1980s, when future “SportsCenter” legend Linda Cohn wanted to move up the ladder in her career from Long Island cable news, she made a big batch of chocolate chip cookies one day for her camera operator. It was a bribe to persuade him to stay late to help her film a spec […]

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and LA28 chief Casey Wasserman detailed their early planning for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games during a panel held Tuesday as part of the CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan conference in Santa Monica. Wasserman faced an uncomfortable few minutes toward the end of the session when moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin […]